Mississippi River Gorge Stewards

A natural oasis of limestone bluffs, natural springs, oak savanna and hardwood forests, the Mississippi River Gorge is a national treasure in our midst. Carved out by a retreating Saint Anthony Falls over the course of 10,000 years, the River Gorge spans from roughly downtown Minneapolis to just west of downtown St. Paul, and is the only river gorge the length of the entire Mississippi River.

Many of us treasure the gorge as a place to hike and enjoy nature. We also we value the river that flows through it as both a source of drinking water and local pride. Today, however, the river gorge is threatened by invading species, litter and careless use.

River Gorge Stewards volunteers work to protect and restore this defining Twin Cities feature.

What Gorge Stewards do

The primary way people become River Gorge Stewards is by participating in one or more Gorge Stewards volunteer or educational events. Most are 2-3 hours long, and take place weekday evenings or Saturday mornings.

There is also a select Gorge Leadership Team of 20 volunteers who receive higher-level training and complete 25 volunteer hours annually. The team is invite-only. As spots open up (which isn't often), those Gorge Stewards volunteers who participated in the most events during the previous season are invited to join.

Who can be a Gorge Steward

The majority are individuals and families who want to make a difference and give back to the river they love.

Roughly half come from neighborhoods along the River Gorge in Minneapolis and St. Paul, and half from throughout the Twin Cities and the larger metro area.

Some college students, Master Naturalists and others complete service-hours through Gorge Stewards events. (Students with more than 4 hours to complete should review FMR's college service basics.)

Occasionally, we are able to work withlarger groups — companies (especially corporate sponsors), organizations, churches, classes, etc. But if you're with a group that needs to set your own date and time, an outing with FMR's storm drain stenciling program is likely the best fit. If this isn't what you had in mind, contact FMR Outreach & Volunteer Coordinator sue rich at srich@fmr.org or 651-222-2193 x14.

Hikes, talks and other educational Gorge Stewards activities take place throughout the Twin Cities metro area. However, Gorge Stewards volunteer events take place at specially selected locations. For each, we have developed a long-term restoration plan and are committed to its long-term health. Even if you only have time to participate in one volunteer event, your contribution will continue to matter.

Oak savanna, near East 36th Street & West River Parkway, Minneapolis
This area includes the highest quality plant communities remaining in the River Gorge, including several acres of mesic oak savanna, one of the rarest native plant communities in Minnesota, and oak woodland. While this type of habitat was once widespread throughout the Upper Midwest, it has all but disappeared. However, thanks to hundreds of dedicated volunteers, this River Gorge gem is being restored to its natural splendor, effectively doubling the amount of mesic oak savanna in the metro area.

Crosby Farm Natural Area, St. Paul
A large floodplain prairie restoration, FMR-installed raingardens and green infrastructure help clean polluted runoff before it enters the river while providing much-needed wildlife habitat. Crosby Farm is roughly the end of the River Gorge, and is nestled at the confluence of the Mississippi & Minnesota rivers a couple miles west of downtown St. Paul and just across from Fort Snelling.

Riverside Park on the west-bank bluffs of the Mississippi River just north of I-94, Minneapolis
At first glance, Riverside Park appears to be a quiet, typical neighborhood park. Given a closer look, though, the park reveals complex layers of historical and natural interest. The 40-acre park is actually the first public park in the city. It is located on two levels, with the steep, wooded river bluff and its WPA-era stone stairs and walls separating the upper and lower areas. Groge Stewards have been restoring sections to native prairie and woodland.

The maple-basswood forest at East 44th Street and West River Parkway, Minneapolis
Home to an array of woodland plants, this maple basswood forest is one of few places in the city where people can experience the big woods. This forest plant community provides wildlife habitat, erosion control, and creates organic matter in the soil, but is also threatened by infestation of invasive plant species and suffers from the disturbances that accompany its use by an urban population. This is one of our primary Earth Day cleanup sites.

The sand flats near Lake Street and West River Parkway, Minneapolis
Part of this area consists of large sandy beaches offering wonderful river-edge viewing. These beaches are not natural; they are made of sand dredged from the river and deposited by workers to improve navigation. However, there are native prairie plants in and near the beach which volunteers help to maintain. Volunteers also work in the surrounding floodplain forest.

Detailed directions and just-for-volunteers maplinks to event meeting spots are emailed to event registrants as part of their confirmation and reminder emails.

Note: Everyone who attends a Gorge Stewards event and provides an email address is automatically added to both the Gorge Stewards and Mississippi Messages e-mail list. We always privde an easy unsubscribe option and addresses are never shared without consent.